Iromar of Arda
by VeryaTirananniel
Summary: The marauders were running in the forbidden forest years ago, when a beast chased them down. When they stopped running, they were in an unfamiliar wood. This forest was in a strange land known as 'Middle Earth', and they were part of a prophecy- the last children of the Valar, the Infatar, were due to arrive, lead by four powerful beings known as the Iromar... (continued in ch 1.)
1. Chapter 1

The marauders were running in the forbidden forest years ago, when a beast chased them down. When they stopped running, they were in an unfamiliar wood. This forest was in a strange land known as 'Middle Earth', and they were part of a prophecy- the last children of the Valar, the Infatar, were due to arrive, lead by four powerful beings known as the Iromar...  
The Iromar have spent centuries building their country and everything in it, their knowledge from the land before helping them pave the road for the thousands of young lesser-mages that have come after. Men and women from every race, warriors and thieves, barbarians and kings. The Infatar gave up the lives they knew before as they were brought to the eden of Irovane, safe to protect the land under the protection of their kings and queen. For they were foretold as the final children, the infants of the land that would grow to be a body of peace, a steady people who would protect the people from the darkness which would soon follow them, a shadow of the evil of Morgoth.

It was an age and a day after the four's arrival in Middle-earth.  
The marauders were now the warrior-monarchs of their country of Irovane. They had been training and collecting the Infatar with immaculate precision, the children coming to their castle-fortress of Morrohaven to learn and live under the care of the three kings and the queen, as well as their apprentices, who were aging and growing into powerful mages themselves, the oldest reaching well into their eighth decade of life.  
A legend was growing in Middle-earth. A legend about a country of all the magical people in the world, who were able to shoot lightning from a stick and change into fantastic beasts with the slightest thought.  
Soon enough, the Men began arriving. Adventurers, the occasional ranger, the common fool who thought he could conquer them with his puny metal weapons and brutish muscles.  
None had yet lead an army against them, until the orcs of Mordor came knocking.


	2. Chapter 2

"My Lady! My Lords!" came the frantic call one autumn eve, as the last rays of sun reached into the sky.  
The inseparable four were standing together at the top of the astronomy tower of Morrohaven, gazing at the emerging stars and the bright half-moon. The call came from Theron, a red-haired Rohirric mage that they had trained from childhood, with the blonde Gondorian witch by the name of Eiliniel.  
"Yes?" James questioned, his brown hair grown out slightly to keep with the style of the lands of Men, ever adjusting his round glasses.  
"Orcs have been sighted on the southern border, your majesties." Said Eiliniel, her chest slightly heaving from the long dash up the stairs to the top of the tower.  
"Orcs?" Remus's brows furrowed, looking formidable as ever, a new scar tracing it's way down the side of his face, adding proof to his reputation as a fearsome being when his lifelong curse takes effect.  
"Yes sir, but there is a new arrival as well; the Istari Gandalf the Grey. We have set him up with a room but he awaits your audience urgently, your majesties."  
Accalia's eyebrows shot up. After meeting Saruman and Radagast she had been hoping with all her might that she might meet more of the Istari, great beings that she and her peers could learn so much from.  
"You hear that, Lia? You've been waiting ages to meet him." joked Sirius, elbowing her side lightly, as unaffected as ever by the grim circumstances around him.  
"Moony? Prongs? Shall we go now or later?" she asked, her dark hair covering part of her face as she turned her silver eyes to her friends.  
"We could go now, I suppose. What room is he in?" spoke out Prongs, grinning slightly at Accalia.  
"He was last standing in the entrance hall, but may have progressed to the Hall of the Dias since then."  
(A/N: because the name 'Throne Room' is too mainstream XD)  
"Shall we apparate?" Brightgaze asked the other founders, and the three men nodded, closing their eyes and disappearing alongside the regal woman with small 'pop's.  
.oOo.  
They appeared in front of their thrones, which were evenly spaced across the dais with Sirius, James, Accalia, and Remus's thrones standing as proud as their owners in the raised platform.  
Accalia was the first to locate the Istari, with his tall grey hat, and long grey cloak and beard.  
"He looks like Dumbledore." whispered Sirius to James, who nodded thoughtfully.  
The man turned to face the group, his tall, gnarled staff by his side, magic radiating from both it and it's carrier.  
"Gandalf the Grey?" asked Accalia, although he couldn't well have been anyone else.  
"And I presume you are the kings and queen of this country, the Iromar." the old man smiled at them, earning four returning smiles. Accalia lead the marauders from the platform, her long ice-blue dress swishing beneath her ever-present black robes, although these were a newly tailored set made from black velvet and lined with silver silk.  
"I am Queen Accalia Brightgaze Iromar. I am honored to meet you, Mithrandir," smiled the woman, bowing to the elderly man before her.  
"There is no need to bow, we are in your kingdom after all my lady," the wizened man smiled lightly at her, and the kings introduced themselves next.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. And later, I will have to inquire to your magnificent fortress that is Morrohaven, and your otherworldly magic. But for now, I have more pressing matters to share with you." he said, becoming serious.  
"If it is a matter best kept from the public ear, may I suggest moving our conversation to the conference office? We have more powerful silencing spells placed on that room than this." suggested Moony, receiving a nod from Gandalf.  
"Hold onto my arm then Mithrandir, we will get there faster by apparition." said James, holding out his arm.  
The Istari held fast to his arm, only to disappear into what seemed like a space-less, airless tube, which sucked the breath from his lungs and compressed his whole body. It was over as soon as it began, ending with Gandalf leaning heavily on his staff, making an effort to show no signs of his newfound nausea.  
"You are handling it wonderfully Mithrandir, most vomit their first time apparating." remarked Sirius, observing the ancient man carefully.  
The grey-bearded man said nothing in reply, but merely swallowed heavily before straightening his back and looking around the room; an entirely different one then that they were just in.  
"Onto the matter at hand, Do you know of the history of Middle-earth? Of the dark lord Sauron the Deceiver and the twenty rings of power he had forged?"  
"Yes. We all made sure to learn as much as we could of Arda upon our arrival." James responded, nodding for him to continue.  
"The One Ring has been found. It is in the hands of a Halfling of Eriador. He is on his way to Rivendell, in the company of another Halfling whom he knows and trusts. There is to be a secret council in the last homely house east of the sea, in which the leaders and most powerful of Arda will meet and discuss the fate of the Ring and it's bearer." said Gandalf, looking between the Iromar for their reactions.  
"And we're being invited?" asked James, getting a nod as an answer from Gandalf.  
"We can't all go," said Accalia, a thoughtful look on her face.  
"She's right, at least two of us must stay, in order to continue teaching the Infatar, and to begin to deal with the orcs in the south. We need a headmaster and a general." pointed out Moony, his eyebrows furrowed.  
"Well I'll stay behind as the general, but who'll stay behind as the teacher?" contributed Prongs, looking around and waiting for someone else to volunteer to stay back.  
"I suppose I'll stay." said Remus, looking at Accalia and Sirius. "You two will go to this council and owl us about it; I'll send out the hawk Dawning when I think you both have arrived."  
Accalia and Padfoot nodded, before turning to Gandalf.  
"When is the council, Gandalf? When should we go?" asked Brightgaze, her eyes searching the aging man's face.  
"It takes place in two weeks. I came early hoping to find you four as well as Radagast. He is not here, is he?" asked Gandalf, to be answered by shaken heads.  
"No, we haven't seen him in fifty years. Sorry, Mithrandir." shrugged Sirius, stroking his goatee-moustache set, which he had grown out along with his hair, which was now nearly to the middle of his upper arms, and tied back in a low ponytail.  
"Ah well, I found you four at least." he said, dismissing the subject.  
"Should we arrive early Mithrandir? I have been to Imladris before, I can apparate to the entrance." said Accalia, flicking her long braid over her shoulder.  
"You can arrive whenever you choose, my Lord and Lady, but keep in mind that those who arrive first get first pick of their lodgings." he said jovially, watching as the two dark-haired Iromar as they looked at each other and then at him, nodding decisively.  
"We'll leave as soon as we sort things out with the Infatar. We'll need to dispatch messengers to the cities and towns, telling them that the most accomplished and able Infatar are needed to report to Morrohaven for orders concerning a great threat to Irovane. We'll also need to put up wards around the castle, and then around the towns and cities. We'll need to protect the countryside too, maybe we should send out the stone soldiers? We could activate the great walls." said Accalia, beginning to plan the course of action with her fellow monarchs.  
"the great walls? Is that the magnificent gate and fortress wall that I passed in order to reach the countryside of Irovane?" queried Gandalf, curiosity in his eyes. The walls had to have been sixty feet high at the very least- they reminded him of the Deeping wall of Helms Deep in Rohan, although they were larger.  
"Yes. There are huge walls around Irovane, covering and shielding land between the protective mountains. The walls shield us almost as well as the mountains, and they give us a base should we ever want to put wards over our entire country." answered James.  
"And these wards, what exactly would they do?"  
"The old wards keep out all magical things of malicious intent; the bearer of the ring would not be able to enter Irovane. He would be deflected as water from a windowpane. When we renew the wards, however, and close the gates, anything that comes in contact with them would be incinerated, more swiftly than a moth that had flown into the hearth-fire." said Sirius, twirling the end of his moustache around his finger.  
"We would need every Infatar to know to cast the spell at once for there to be the proper effect though. I believe a sonorous maxima spell would do the trick, if we had the announcers placed evenly around the border and throughout the countryside. One in each city and town would do as well. We could send out our personal guard to do that, and give them each a scroll to read off when they announce it." mused Remus, earning nods from the rest of the marauders.  
"I'll choose the Infatar to send out. I'll also send out Haruven, he'll pass the message to the guards of the walls, and of the mountain towers to space themselves evenly and cast the wards at midnight tomorrow." said Sirius, before bowing to the others and apparating away.  
"I apologize Mithrandir. He usually has a certain disregard for propriety." said James, sighing in good humored exasperation.  
"It is quite alright. Although I wonder, can all magi apparate?"  
"All who have been taught. But there are limitations; we can only apparate to places that we've been before, and nobody can apparate within the cities of Irovane except for the Iromar. Being us does have it's privileges." Prongs chuckled, standing from his chair before offering the Istari a hand up as well when the others stood.  
Taking the hand of the younger man, Gandalf stood and took up his staff again.  
"Would you like us to show you to your rooms? Don't worry, we'll walk there that way you know the way out. Although you may still get lost in the main staircase," laughed Accalia receiving an odd look from Gandalf.  
"You may be wondering, 'How in the world could I get lost in a staircase?'" began Remus, his scarred face grinning as he lead the group down the corridor, the floating, glowing orbs in small cage-like containers lining the walls providing light.  
"Well good sir, this is how." grinned Remus, throwing open the door to the landing in the great tower of the stairs, revealing the moving staircases that lead to all seven floors and the six towers.  
"Granted there are a hundred and forty-two other staircases, but this one is the most constant of them. The paths hardly ever change from their normal variations." smiled Remus, as a staircase leading up connected with their landing.  
"Come on now, we don't want to miss it! We're heading to the sixth floor. There are quite a few empty rooms here, suites and classrooms alike that you could use. What would you prefer in a room, Mithrandir? Your own bathroom? A large window with a nice view?" Accalia carried on, now taking the lead as they walked swiftly up the staircases.  
"I'll take whatever room you recommend, Lady Brightgaze." he said, still looking, stunned, over the banisters at the moving staircases and paintings covering nearly every foot of the walls of the huge tower.  
"Good afternoon, your majesties," said one painting, earning smiles and 'good afternoon's from the kings and queen, and an absolutely fascinated look from the grey wizard.  
They crossed the tower again, and when they stopped on the landing, apparently they were just in time, for the staircase moved on to a different place as soon as the last foot was off.  
"And here is the sixth-floor corridor," declared Accalia, striding down the warmly lit hallway, with the lighting orbs glowing brighter every minute as the sun's light departed.  
"Here will be your room, Mithrandir," smiled Accalia, opening the door to one of the rooms in the long hallway.  
"Remember, the main staircase is that way, and just keep going down until you're in the entrance hall. Once you reach it, the Great Hall is to the left. If you want to eat breakfast with the rest of us, it is at seven tomorrow morning. Your dinner has been placed on the desk, since we took a bit longer than expected conferencing." said James, gesturing inside the grand suite of rooms.  
"Thank you." nodded the grey wizard.  
"As you seem very curious about our magic, here is a map from here to the library on the fourth floor." smiled Accalia, handing a rolled up bit of parchment to the Istari.  
"Good evening Mithrandir, we hope to see you at breakfast tomorrow," said James, bowing slightly and turning away after his goodbye was returned, followed by Remus and Accalia.  
"Where are you two off to?" asked Accalia, to be informed that Remus was off to bed, and James was off to the capital, Aledinas, to speak with the more skilled Infatar that lived there.  
Accalia decided to stroll around the castle grounds, likely for one of the last times before she and Sirius left with a group of their guards, the Alvard. The grounds were quiet, the students in bed, and the animals asleep or grazing quietly. Even the great fish of the Mirror Lake were in the deeper waters, the surface glassy smooth and mirroring the thousands of stars overhead.  
She looked back at the castle, the windows glowing warmly and outlining the fortress against the night sky.  
She walked into the dark forest, whistling merrily and looking at the trees and plants. An ash tree creaked as she grew near, and she stopped, looking closely at it before prodding it gently with the end of her wand.  
A twig snapped off, of just the right length and width to be made into a wand. It was quite straight, given it still had the bark on it.  
"Thank you," she told the tree. "I will be sure that a marvelous young Infatar comes into possession of this wand-to-be." the tree groaned again, and the branches swayed and rustled in the breeze-less forest.  
She tucked the branch carefully into her pocket before continuing through the forest, looking for the acromantulas' webs.  
She came across them nearly an hour later, with the massive silken strands stretching high into the trees that were as big around as the arm-spans of twenty men at largest. Stepping carefully into the grove, she started seeing small spiders in the trees. Going even deeper into the webbed area of the wood, she came across the center of the nest.  
"Feronat!" she called, her silver eyes searching the web-coated hole in the roots of one of the massive trees.  
"Who calls me?" a deep voice demanded, the ground quivering slightly as huge, spindly legs emerged from the den of spiders.  
"I who brought you here when you were young. Brightgaze calls to you!" she responded, watching as the huge head and body of the mature acromantula exited the silk-covered burrow.  
"Brightgaze? Ahh yes, I remember you. You took me from the overcrowded forests of Mirkwood and gave me to this forest of plentiful space and game, where my children would always be able to find food. Why have you returned?" the spider said, all eight of it's black eyes riveted to the form of the witch.  
"I have come to ask for silk from your webs. An ash tree has gifted me with a wand-quality bough, and it is in need of a core." she answered, bringing out the branch for examination.  
The spider took the branch carefully in it's two front most legs, holding it delicately before it's eyes.  
"I see. I will give you unused silk, for this wand will be especially powerful." Feronat gave the wood back to Accalia, and soon brought from behind it a wound ball of fresh silk.  
The witch pulled on a dragonhide glove and took the ball, bowing to the acromantula and thanking him before disapparating with the usual small 'pop'.  
She appeared in the secret chamber she had built into the foundations of Morrohaven, a chamber with no doors and no windows, the only form of ventilation being the bubbles in the ceiling that acted as gills for the entire chamber, exchanging the air in the room for the air in the water above it.  
She walked along the damp pathway, the statues of snow leopards in various stances of attack lining the walk. She shifted into her leopard form, roaring loudly and causing the water on the sides of the path to vibrate. As she strode past, the statues' eyes glowed, and they crouched as she went before them.  
Had she been in her human form, they would have come to life and attacked her as soon as she came into their line of sight. She came to the end of the walk, a stone bridge leading straight ahead, and two more to either side over the deep, curving underground lake. Trees were carved into the tall walls, the ceiling at least eighty feet high and vaulted like a cathedral. The orbs here were dim and green tinted, floating freely through the room, and between the stone trees that 'grew' from the lake and between the leopard statues like will o' the wisps in the wild moors. There were no railings on the thin bridges, and the chambers at the end of the paths were dark.  
She chose the middle path, continuing ahead as a snow leopard, her thick tail steady behind her as she crossed the stone bridge. Once she emerged onto solid ground, she shifted back, her mirror like eyes roving over her quarters. Carefully, she set down the acidic silk onto a dragonhide mat on her dresser, pulling off the glove and placing it on the dresser top next to the silk. She gently set down the ash wood next to it, being sure to place it so that it wouldn't fall.  
She pulled off her robes as she walked, hanging them gently on the coat-tree by the door. She undid her braid then as well, her near-black hair hanging in unruly waves down to her elbows. The ribbon she put in a small jar of ribbons, all made of silk or satin on a small table next to the full-length mirror. Next, she removed the dress, her snow-pale skin standing in stark contrast with her hair. She stood now in a thin shift, walking to put the fine fabric into the dirty clothes hamper to be cleaned later.  
She walked to the right of the room, where a stone archway lead to a lower-roofed, cave-like room, half of which's floor was sunken down to create a dark pool of water, which had begun steaming softly once she walked into the room, lighting the candles placed throughout the room with a wave of her hand.  
The shadows cast by the candles were slightly eerie, though they revealed the veins of silver in the walls, as well as the shining silver taps along the wall above the water.  
Discarding her shift on the floor, Accalia made her way into the water and walked down the steps beneath the surface, the floor leveling out once the water was at the level of her ribcage.  
She waded through the warm water to the taps, turning on the third and eighth ones from the left, nodding in satisfaction when the pine and jasmine scented liquids mixed with the warm water.  
She washed herself, and used various charms to deal with the hair of her body, straightening the hair on her head to it's natural texture. Then she dove beneath the water to rinse the soaps off, and swam around for a bit before surfacing and merely floating for a while, creating twinkling lights on the ceiling to resemble stars.  
Her familiar entered the room then, laying down at the edge of the water and purring loudly, his eyes closed. Janos was a fearsome creature, a warg-sized snow leopard-looking being that Accalia had dubbed a kneale, after the quite similar kneazle of Earth. "Janos, you've come to welcome me back?" smiled the witch, standing up in the water and walking over to her familiar.  
Janos purred loudly again, rolling onto his side and blinking at her.  
She smiled, sitting on the stone ground next to the pool and scratched his stomach, her fingers moving easily through the thick, soft fur.  
"Padfoot and I are going to the elf-city of Imladris, it was decided today." she informed him, before moving back into the water and washing her arms.  
Janos rolled onto his stomach, stopping his purring as his tail flicked lightly as he gazed at her with mint green eyes.  
"Well I was going to ask you if you wanted to come, don't get all huffy with me." she said lightly, and Janos's tail ceased it's flicking as his head came to rest on his front paws and his eyes closed. Accalia shook her head as his purring resumed. "I'll take that as a yes then," she said, humor in her voice.  
She made her way to the taps, standing on the raised stone beneath them as she stopped beneath pine-scented one for a few seconds after washing her hair, and then switching to the jasmine, letting the smells soak into her hair and skin.  
Once she was done, she turned off the taps, watching as the water automatically drained into thin air, only to be replaced by a simple 'aguamenti' and a waved wand on the part of Accalia.  
She walked to the other side of the room, to where the shelves built into the walls held huge fluffy towels, and the stone floors were covered with water-proof thick rugs. She pulled out a large white towel, wrapping it over her shoulders and making her way back to her bedroom. Janos followed her almost lazily, his furry feet padding lightly along the stone floors before he plopped down into his 'bowl', an indentation in the floor filled with cushions for him to sleep on.  
Accalia dressed in a simple full-length green cotton nightgown, pulling her leather flat-soled boots on as she donned her dragonhide gloves and picked up the acromantula silk and ash wood.  
Going back into the main chamber, she walked back over the center bridge and turned to the right, taking the bridge that would be the left if she had been facing her bedroom.  
She emerged into a laboratory of sorts, the magically huge room a labyrinth of storage shelves and worktables, with racks upon racks of unfinished broomsticks and shelves filled with boxes of unfinished wands or with materials which would eventually be used to build the finest wands or brooms in Arda. Of course, her apprentices had their own broom and wand shops in various cities around Irovane, but Accalia's wares were much finer, she having had centuries longer to experiment and practice her crafts.  
She carefully set down the acromantula silk into a magically reinforced glass jar, and laid the ash bough next to it on the otherwise unoccupied worktable.  
Looking around her workshop fondly, she turned and made her way back to her bedroom, removing her boots and placing them next to the coat-tree once inside. She lit the hearth fire with a thought of 'lacarnem enflamare' and walked on light feet to her bed, a large four-poster situated somewhat near to Janos's 'bowl'.  
She dreamed strange and disturbing dreams that night; in the southeast the sky was black and blood red, and a tower topped with a flaming eye called to her, saying that it would raze her kingdom to the ground if she did not join it. A horrifying image of James, Remus and Sirius dead was presented to her, their bodies being ripped to shreds by orcs and wargs standing atop a mountain of the dead Infatar, their blood staining the rivers and lakes a sick crimson as horrible laughter rang throughout the scene.  
She woke screaming bloody murder, sitting bolt upright before hugging her knees and sobbing, alarming Janos so much that he took her up by the back of her nightgown as though she were a kitten and taking her back to his bowl with him. Janos laid down in his bowl as he had before, but this time worriedly put Accalia next to him and curled up around her, the witch nestled into the thick fur on his stomach as though she were some small creature nestled up against it's mother.  
He begun to purr, trying to calm down the Iromar as best he could, licking her exposed arm lightly with his rough tongue until her sobbing ceased and she curled into his stomach, her hands grasping his fur desperately, as though he would disappear if she even thought of letting go. His feline eyes looked at her with worry, before he laid down his head again and fell into the land of dreams


	3. Chapter 3

Accalia awoke at the same time she usually did; six thirty in the morning according to the magical, carved silver clock mounted on her wall near the door to the bath-room.  
Extracting herself from Janos's bowl, she scratched him behind the ears before venturing to her wardrobe and walking in; the interior having an undetectable extension charm on it. She chose from the racks of gowns her silver gown, with various slits all around the skirt, and an attached, un-slit mint green underskirt.  
She also donned her silver diadem, the crown looking like a two vines entwined circling her head, the ends meeting in the front and supporting a small teardrop-shaped moonstone. She brushed her hair then, the straight, near-black mass standing in contrast with her pale skin, eyes and crown.  
As she entered her main bedroom once more, she noticed Janos missing, only to find him splashing around in the bath pool, the tap for the pine and mountain ice scents pouring into the pool. She observed him romping in the water for a few more moments before calling to him. "Janos? Are you joining me in the castle today?"  
The kneale looked at her then, before he nudged the taps into their 'off' position, causing the water to drain as he shook the excess water from his thick fur. Accalia waved her wand in a short arc, causing the rest of the water to fall to the floor from Janos's fur, leaving him dry and smelling like the bath scents he had chosen. Accalia brushed her teeth then, ridding her mouth of the smell of night-breath before washing her face off in pine-smelling water from a small basin next to the basin she used as a sink.  
When Janos emerged into the room, Accalia put his necklace-collar around his neck, not for the purpose of a collar but as his version of a crown, a mark of his importance as the familiar of one of the Iromar. It was crafted of mithril, and extended to act as a sort of breastplate made of bright bars all connected to one another, with a small green moonstone at the top of each one. (A/N: think 'silver Egyptian Nefertiti-style necklace')  
His fur miraculously didn't poof out above the necklace, and he shook his head, adjusting it to comfort.  
Accalia was struck yet again by his size, at 5'7", she hardly came up to his shoulder. He truly was a fearsome creature, a masterpiece of nature.  
"Let's go then," smiled Brightgaze at her familiar, donning her robes from the day before over her gown and stowing her wand in her pocket before shifting into a normal-sized snow leopard.  
She lead the way into the main room, but let him go first down the corridor, the stone leopards still crouched in sleep from the night before.  
She followed after him, the statues leaping to attention as she entered their view, resituating themselves into their defensive positions among the stone trees to either side of the walkway.  
Once they reached the end of the walk, past eight sets of statues spaced three yards apart, Accalia grasped onto his fur and apparated them both into the entrance hall, the students already at breakfast in the Great Hall.  
Accalia strode confidently into the hall, the students looking at her and Janos in awe; the kneale rarely made appearances in the castle, and it was even more rare for Accalia to ever make the effort to look like the warrior-queen that she was.  
The teachers were already at the head table, the three marauders in their seats, and Gandalf sitting next to Remus, looking at Janos curiously.  
Accalia made her way to her seat and sat down, putting a selection of toast and jams from the serving plates onto her own, followed by a few pieces of bacon. After she was done selecting her food, she poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice, before turning back to make sure Janos was well situated, and surely enough he was sitting happily on a large cushion behind the table, devouring what looked like a huge mountain goat, enchanted so that the smell did not reach beyond the large bowl in which it was placed.  
"Lady Accalia, if I may ask, what is that marvelous creature and why is it here?" asked Gandalf across Remus, and Brightgaze smiled before answering.  
"He is a kneale, and his name is Janos; he is my familiar. My companion who knows me as well as I know myself, he is my greatest friend and protector. Even if he doesn't talk much." she grinned.  
"I have never heard of such a thing, is it a custom brought with you from your realm?" asked Gandalf, to be answered by Remus.  
"In a sense, yes. It was very rare in our world to find our familiars, I know of only three including Brightgaze to find theirs. The other two were great wizards, although one had fallen to the darkness of the soul." he said, before turning and taking a small sip of orange juice, his chosen breakfast drink.  
"Would you like to make the announcement, James? About the placement of the wards tonight at midnight?" asked Brightgaze, turning to her right.  
Prongs nodded before standing and making his way to the golden podium modeled after the one at Hogwarts; the owl 'woke' and spread it's wings once he stood behind it.  
"Attention," he said, his voice magically amplified to be heard over the soft din of what was essentially a school cafeteria. The students grew silent, and all turned toward him expectantly.  
"Last night, grave news fell on the ears of the Iromar. Orcs of Mordor have been sighted marching on our southern border." he paused for effect, giving the students a chance to murmur among themselves in surprise and alarm. "As a result, we have sent out the Alvard to notify the most powerful witches and wizards of the event tonight; we need every able Infatar to go outside at midnight tonight and help cast the wards into the sky. King Sirius Iromar will also be leading out a group of the most capable fifth, sixth and seventh years to the surrounding countryside; there will need to be people both inside and outside of Morrohaven casting the wards. All fifth to seventh year students who know the wards should go to the entrance hall at eleven thirty tonight to prepare for the casting of the wards."  
There was another wave of chatter as James made his way to his seat, mostly between the students who had witnessed the departure of the dark green-robed mages the night before.  
"Simple as that. Now I'll apparate all over and make sure everyone is in their proper places at eleven fifty, and we'll all be in the center of Irovane to cast the spell into open sky at midnight. You are welcome to join us, Gandalf if you do not mind a few more bouts of apparition." Prongs put out, with a light and honestly curious look at the grey wizard.  
"I will stay and view the application of the wards from Morrohaven." he said, before changing the subject.  
"And by the way Lady Brightgaze, I would like to thank you for the map you gave me to the library, it was most helpful." smiled the Istari, earning a smile and a 'you're welcome' from the mirror-eyed woman.  
The students slowly trickled off to class, and the teachers left as well, leaving the monarchs and the Istari to do what they would with their time.  
Sirius went to pack; they would be leaving just after the wards were set. Remus went to the nearby village, unsure if the messengers had thought to tell the Infatar and their mortal family there about the casting of the wards tonight. James was off chasing some redhead Infatar woman named Lily, and Mithrandir was in the library.  
Accalia decided to participate in a few of the lessons, a way of passing time not uncommon to her.  
She decided upon entering the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, where the seventh-years were working on higher-level dueling.  
All heads turned to her as she opened the door and strode in with Janos. The classroom was quite large today, and the students were crowded around a dueling platform where the teacher and assistant were dueling animatedly.  
"Stupefy!" shouted the assistant, only to have the jet of light blocked by the teacher's shield charm.  
"Incarcerous!" retaliated the aging, forty-something man. His wand was one that Brightgaze had made herself, of yew and a flight feather of the king of the great eagles, Gwaihir. It was 13 ½ inches and unyielding, all in all a quite powerful wand, especially in dueling, due to it's wood, which was the same as her own.  
Thick ropes flew from the end of the wand, and the assistant ducked , rolling across the platform before popping up to launch a dozen snakes at the teacher.  
"Vipera Evanecsa! Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" the three spells were fired in quick succession to one another, giving the assistant absolutely no time to block the individual curses, but instead to duck the jet of icy blue light and get hit with the ropes now intent on strangling him.  
"Finite." said Brightgaze, pointing her wand at the ropes, which then incinerated themselves.  
"Well done Marcus, and good duel to you as well, Abram. I suppose it isn't fair that Marcus is a retired captain of the Alvard, the old dog." she said, smiling and striding up the steps to the dueling platform.  
"Now I will duel him. Watch carefully students, and learn to identify the spells by color and effect; we will be using nonverbal spells." she announced, grinning at one of the few Infatar she had trained herself.  
The duel was of only moderate length, with each firing multiple spells per second, straying into the more dangerous 'reducto' spell and various hexes, even going so far as to summon devil's snare, the fatal plant growing swiftly from the platform, only to be banished half a second later by the inaudible 'lumos solem' cast by Marcus.  
All of a sudden, not fifteen minutes later, a particularly nasty curse made up by the Snape boy at Hogwarts was used, with Brightgaze hissing 'sectumsempra' under her breath, the curse making it's way easily through the basic shield charm and hitting Marcus in the chest, slicing him open as though with a dozen knives and knocking him back. As a few of the more flighty students screamed or fainted, Accalia flew to his side, kneeling down and chanting 'vulnera sanentur' as she held her wand hovering over his chest.  
The blood slowly crawled back into his body, his skin mending until there were no traces of the curse other than the cuts in his clothes, which were quickly fixed with a 'reparo' spell.  
Accalia helped up her friend and one-time student, who smiled and laughed.  
"That's a new one, my Lady. I don't recall learning that, what was the incantation?" asked Marcus jovially, only to have Brightgaze wag her finger at him.  
"It's actually quite ancient, from the world that we Iromar were brought from. We never taught any of you because it cannot be detected as the unforgivable curses can, and is quite lethal. No, we believe it is best that that particular curse remain unlearned." she tapped the side of her nose and hopped down from the platform as Janos stood from his previously sleeping position and shook out his fur.  
She nodded her farewell to the students and waved to Marcus before exiting the room in favor of the outside world.  
"What should we do now, I wonder? Should I go pack now or put it off?" she asked Janos, who growled softly in response.  
"You're right, I should get it over with. I had better pack some good traveling clothes. Even though we're apparating there, I have a nagging feeling I'll need them. Do you want your war-necklace as well? The one that extends into armor when donned?"  
The kneale nodded, and they made their way to the library to gather tomes that may be useful on their journey.  
"Plants and Poisons, the Potioneer's guide to the Flora of Arda by R. J. Lupin. I never thought I'd want to bring along a book that Moony's written." Accalia laughed, tucking it into her elbow.  
"The Moste Nobel Arte of thee Arcane Warrior. I think this'll be interesting. I haven't read this book in fifty years. Training and keeping of the Soldier by Sirius Orion Black. How humorous. Still of use."  
I picked out a few light reading books after that, the history of Arda as well as an atlas of the ancient and current world, complete with the Southern and Eastern lands, as well as the currently sunken realms of Beleriand.  
There were also included a combined collection of Arda's histories, beginning with the Elvish tales of the Silmarillion jewels, and ending with the Fall of Isildur in the beginning of the third age.  
"You know Janos, when I read these histories and know that we have lived through much of these events, holed up with the Infatar and building our kingdom, it seems unreal. Has that much time passed, truly?" she asked, stroking her familiar's soft fur as he nodded in the affirmative.  
"Lovely, now I feel old." she sighed, leaning back against him.  
"Not nearly so old as I am though, my lady." came a voice, and Accalia turned to see Mithrandir sitting at one of the tables, with a book on wandlore from the restricted section open on his lap.  
"Yes, I suppose that is comforting, Mithrandir. Ahh, I see you have found one of my books from my days as a student of the great wand maker Ollivander."  
"Is that so? This most intrigues me, this making of wands and the like."  
"Do you not make your staffs? The conductor of your magic?"  
"No. they are gifted to the Maiar by the Valar. To make our own staffs would be to accept that our power is lesser than it is."  
Accalia nodded, recognizing the fact that the Iromar and the Infatar were indeed of inferior power when compared to the Istari.  
"We leave once the wards are up, we will set out to the northern border once we have exited by the Great Northern Gate on the southern plains of Forodwaith and near the shores of the frozen sea of Enwair. The Wards will not harm us if we go through the Gates." Accalia said, levitating the books and enchanting them to follow her.  
"Tell me more of these wards, Lady Brightgaze." the elderly man said, an air of intrigue in his voice.  
"What else is there to know? Three enchantments solidify a barrier that will hold against all physical attacks and most magical attacks save for the most powerful of curses. It will hold forever, until it is taken down to allow in traders and new Infatar and their families. Until the time when the orcs have left our doorstep, the wards will not be removed. There is an entire race of the first and second children of Iluvatar at stake, and it would be better for us to hide behind our power and pick them off efficiently from afar than to lose many taking unnecessary risks." she explained, sating also his latent desire for an explanation of why they were hiding rather than face the wolves on their doorstep.  
"I see the reasoning in your words. Although know that should the world go unaided, the tide of evil will not stop, and your kingdom will be entirely alone in it's survival, with all the darkness in the world lapping against the wards as waves upon the sand."  
Accalia nodded, habitually clutching the fur on Janos's shoulder.  
In response to the waves of anxiety rolling from Accalia, Janos turned and licked her cheek comfortingly, earning a stressed smile from the witch.  
"If you will excuse us, Mithrandir, I will finish packing for Janos and myself. I will see you tonight- I will send out Janos to fetch you to the shores of the frozen sea where Sirius and I shall wait." Accalia bowed her head to the Istari and exited, the pile of books trailing behind her.  
Back in their chambers, Accalia and Janos packed away all of their things in a large layered trunk. In went Janos's armor-necklace as well as his ceremonial necklace and earrings (his ears were both pierced). Of Accalia's belongings, her enchanted light armor of dragonskin found it's way into the trunk, as well as many sweet treats and fruits with stasis charms on them. A lovely elvish dress found it's way in as well, the silvery green silk soft against her skin when worn. Her good, silver-lined black velvet robes went in as well, along with her diadem and a plainer silver circlet, as well as the books she had collected from the library.  
She then closed and locked the trunk before taking out a small mokeskin pouch from Earth. Placing the open mouth of the pouch at the corner of the trunk and pushed. Soon, the pouch had swallowed the trunk and everything within it.  
Accalia then undressed and strung the pouch around her nude waist. Afterwards, she donned a nice but sturdy outfit of dragonskin tight-fitting pants and a light grey lamarae tunic lined with twisted silver cord.  
Her wand was tucked into the dragonskin gauntlets around her forearms which were emblazoned with the crest of Irovane- four animals dashing in a circle around two stars.  
The four animals were running counterclockwise in their circle, with a stag tossing his head at the top, a black dog to the left looking to the two center stars as it ran after a white leopard with black spots.  
The leopard was in a pose similar to the stag, and it chased a wolf, who like the dog was looking to the center stars.  
The crest was normally presented on an light blue ground with a scroll unfurling beneath the circle reading in the ancient Quenya: 'In life may there be magic and hope, in death may there be honor and grace'.  
Although it was not first intended to be so, many of the Infatar had assigned the Iromar to the motto of their land of Irovane- James the stag as Magic, Sirius the dog as Hope, Remus the wolf as Honor, and Accalia the snow leopard as Grace. They all disliked it of course, as they all had differing opinions on which trait they all exhibited most, and often bantered about it when they all spent time together.


	4. Chapter 4

Once redressed, Accalia put on a skirt of sorts- it had a long slit in the front, and it exhibited her dragonhide-clad legs both while she was walking and while she stood still. It was of the same colors and materials as the tunic, and the two flowed together almost like a dress.  
Over the skirt she strapped a wide dragonhide belt, and after putting on traveling robes of pewter (the outside) and light blue (the inside), Accalia braided her hair in the elven mens' style.  
"Are you done yet Brightgaze? I know we're leaving just after we're done but do you really have to make yourself into a bloody angel of death?" came a call, and Janos darted out of the door to apprehend the intruder.  
"Janos, calm down! It's just me!" the voice said again, and fading into her snow leopard form Accalia padded out into the main hall of her chambers, to be met with an amusing sight.  
At the end of the hallway sat Janos, beneath his forepaws Sirius struggled to get up vainly.  
"You know better Padfoot," she said, human once again before her familiar and her friend.  
"Time to go." he extended his arm, and it was taken by Brightgaze, who in turn held fast to the silver fur of Janos.  
They appeared in the Entrance Hall, at the top of the staircase and looking on into the huge crowd of Infatar that was assembled as well as the Guards from the surrounding mountains that had decided to follow their monarchs into the casting directly- their sky blue tunics and bright chain mail standing out in the crowd of black-robed students.  
"I call for attention!" Accalia had placed a silent 'sonorous' charm on herself, magnifying her voice.  
"I thank you for assembling. Now as we agreed earlier, those of you still in school will follow King Sirius, and those of you in the Alvard, as well as those select teachers whom King Remus identified will come with me to the shores of the frozen sea to secure the northern border. We leave now- File out and apparate to your prescribed locations."  
Janos gave a parting roar as Accalia said goodbye to the other Iromar-it wasn't known when -or if- she would see Remus or James again.  
The Infatar left through the front doors, Sirius at the head of the group, and Accalia apparating away to the dark, starlit northern border of Irovane.  
She waited for five minutes, the Infatar continuously apparating to the top of the wall of the Great Northern Border, their eyes on the stars hovering over the ice, a thin fog covering the inland sea beneath the cloudless sky and crescent moon.  
All of a sudden, a high, clear horn sounded out in the distance, followed by three more extended notes, continually closer, until Brightgaze lifted her own silver horn and let out the signal, the note high and wavering as moonlight.  
When the note ended, a thrum went through the land, a pulse of magic that traveled through the feet of the mages and resounded in their cores, and following the lead of the Iromar, they raised their wands to the heavens.  
"Remember your homeland!" called out Accalia- these wards required a heartfelt desire, a determination that you could taste, that you could feel in the earth.  
"Remember the fields of Acrahon! Remember the Grey Mountains! Remember the Shivering Woods! Think now of those that stand ready at our Southern Gate, the Gate of Middle-Earth! They would see our land burn! They would steal away our homes! Will we let them?"  
"NO!" the answer thundered through the area, shaking the very foundation of the wall, causing the frozen sea to shudder.  
"CAST THE WARDS! FOLLOW YOUR MONARCHS!" Accalia shouted, and the wand-tips around her glowed bright with suppressed energy- the magic of the people, their most powerful and treasured memories of their home, and their determination to protect it.  
"Protego Maxima!" she called, and as one, the Mages of Middle-Earth drew back their arms and threw forward the spell into the sky- hundreds of delicate steel ropes of magic made their way into the night sky, staying connected with their sources as they drew back again.  
"Repello Inimigorum!" the cords of magic thickened and grew brighter, the shields spread out like water over a tabletop, the pulse of magic spreading from the land to the sky through the wards, the heartbeat of Irovane stunning all those who saw it, filling the eyes, the hearts, the minds and the souls of the Mages who cast them.  
"Fianto Duri!" the last spell gave the silver magic a pinkish sheen, and it solidified the barriers, pooling the magic of the mages together in a seamless dome. The dome met with the outermost wall and spread over the skies to the rest of Irovane, where it was met by the Wards cast by the most skilled mages of the city of Turin to the southeast.

From the Astronomy tower, Gandalf watched in awe.  
From all over the castle, students who were officially too young or inexperienced were leaning out of windows, standing on rooftops, on the grounds, and raising their wands to the air as a fifth-year called out the enchantments, giving their all to protect their home, even though they weren't supposed to.  
Their tentative strings of magic were mimicked dozens of times in the distance, great cables of magical energy rising up from the North where Accalia was, from the far East where James had traveled, to the South where Remus was, and from just outside of Morrohaven, where Sirius Black was leading the Infatar in casting the wards, the thick stems of magic extending into the heavens like the trees of Lothlorien, the branches were the swiftly spreading arms of the shield that came from all directions.  
The very stones beneath his feet pulsed with magic, the very earth below seemed to live, soaking up the magic and the intent of the thousands of mages casting the wards over their patch of Arda.  
The same scene was mirrored in the eyes of the people of Irovane, whether they were casters of the wards, the civilians of the many walled cities, the arcane warriors of the Alvard, or the children of Irovane, huddled at their bedroom windows, their faces mirroring the light of the night with expressions of awe at the power of their people.  
Once the dome was complete, it stayed there for a moment, pulsing brighter than a full moon for a total of ten seconds before the trees of magic began fading from the bases, accompanied by resounding signal blasts from the pure silver horns of the Mages.  
When the trees were completely faded, the magic thrummed through the land once more, a heartbeat like the deepest drum, before the dome began to fade and existed only as a dull, inexplicable shimmer in the night sky.

The Four rulers traveled then to the Northern edge of their land, to where Brightgaze was waiting with her familiar and contingent of six guards- two elves of Lothlorien and Mirkwood, two Rohirric witches, one Gondorian wizard, and one wizard of Easterling descent.  
"Be careful Padfoot, Brightgaze." Moony hugged his brother and sister, as did Prongs.  
"Let's go then, All out of the Gates!" called Accalia, and once they were out of the great Northern Gates, the guards and rulers linked arms before apparating to the gates of Imladris.


	5. Chapter 5

They arrived with little ceremony, simply striding ahead through the elven gates ahead of a group of stunned men, whom had been walking a few yards behind where the mages popped into existence.  
The six infatar grouped protectively around the monarchs, although the two lines of three were relaxed, and more for show than effect.  
"Did you see that?" whispered one of the voices behind them.  
"Witches, the lot of them, do doubt about it." answered another, also in a hushed manner.  
"The proper term for the men are wizards, my good sir." Accalia grinned as a thick silence spread over the group of Men behind them, and Sirius snorted derisively as Janos tossed his head lightly.  
As they walked through the gates, they were greeted by a dark-haired elf, who bowed politely and asked for their names.  
"I am Queen Accalia Brightgaze of Irovane. This is Janos of the Grey Mountains, and our guard of three." The elf nodded, and Sirius stepped up. "I am Sirius Padfoot Black, King of Irovane, this is our guard of three."

"If you'll follow me, you majesties, You will be led to the guest wing. You will be able to choose your own chambers, as well as accommodations for your guards, if they plan on staying." he raised an eyebrow and Janos grew a few feet in response, his half-raised hackles brushing the ceiling of the corridor we were walking through.  
"Calm down Janos, it was simply a question." I rolled my eyes and the kneale huffed, shrinking to the size of a normal leopard and shaking out his fur.  
We picked out a room facing the valley, with a nice balcony. I unpacked my things from the pouch, filling the nicely-sized wardrobe and putting Janos's armor on it's stand, and the stand next to the coat tree.  
I sighed once I finished.  
"James and Remus have their hands full in Irovane, and Sirius is probably out making connections. What are we doing, just sitting here? We haven't been here for two hundred years, Janos! We ought to refamiliarize ourselves." I smiled, dropping to all fours and shaking out my fur.  
" Its about time, Brightgaze. I have had to be so vocal today, making responses your human ears can understand." he said, and l let out a feline version of a laugh, with purrs thrumming through my chest in good humor.  
I padded out the balcony door, with my friend following on equally silent feet. We made our way down into the welcoming courtyard, unnerving a fair few elves and passing Sirius, causing him to shake his head and chuckle as the elf he was talking to fell silent.  
When we got back, we found the humans and their horses still waiting to be shown around.  
"look at them, they're just standing there like ducklings without their mother." I purr-chuckled, with Janos joining me.  
"Indeed they are. Their horses look intelligent, though not as much so as the Rohirric horses. They are Gondorians, then."  
"You should have known from their flag, The white tree of Gondor, Janos. Come now, you knew that.." My tail twitched slightly, and my ears flicked a bit to shoo away a gnat.  
"I do not see the point in knowing your human banners. One should not be so dependent on colored scraps of cloth when observing potential adversaries." His green eyes met mine, and I shrugged, before walking with an easy gait through the courtyard.  
The Gondorians were severely unnerved when they saw us, and the brown-haired man muttered under his breath, "I thought that witch only brought one of those creatures. They'll maul us in our sleep, just wait."  
Janos and I gave no response, but merely continued on our way.  
Soon enough, we came across the mural room near the library.  
We noticed immediately the human in the corner reading, but did not let him know we had seen him.  
"Look at that, Janos. Isildur defeats Sauron." I shifted in the middle of the sentence, startling the man in the corner so much that he dropped his book.  
"I remember Isildur. I don't think I had found you at that point, Janos. It was back before Irovane was a proper kingdom. We could hardly muster enough Infatar to make a difference in the War."  
I rested my hand on Janos's head, before turning to walk over and sit next to the dark-haired man.  
"Accalia Brightgaze, Lady Queen of Irovane." I held out my hand as I reclined, summoning a book from my chambers and catching it deftly when it approached.  
He shook my hand, before looking to Janos.  
"I am known by many names." he said simply, but I smiled.  
"I can see from the way you handle yourself that you are Arathorn's boy. Aragorn, is it not? This is Janos Cloudtail of the Grey Mountains."  
The dark-haired man merely blinked at me, before nodding to Janos and responding. "None whom I have met have known my identity so easily. You say you are Queen of Irovane, yet you do not look a day older than myself, though my age too is not belied by my looks."  
"Indeed you are correct, Lord Aragorn. I age at over an age myself. I have been friends with our friend the Lord Elrond for many a year now, since the last alliance of Elves and Men. My warriors were few, but we fought hard, and our magic flew like colored lightning through the night in response to the advance of the forces of darkness."  
Janos nudged me then with his paw, and I fell silent, my head turning with my nose slightly lifted, a perfect mirror of my familiar's. We listened for a moment, before I stood. "I will take my leave of you now, Lord Aragorn. I am pleased to have met on good terms with you." I clasped my left fist and pressed it against my chest as I bowed, before winking and allowing my features to melt into those of the snow leopard, before silently moving away, the long leopard strides of Janos and I easily and effortlessly carrying us away from the king-to-be.  
The week passed quickly, and the food and merriment reached it's peak with the arrival of the dwarves, who though defensive in the face of so many elves easily loosened up after a few drinks.  
"Go on Brightgaze!" laughed Sirius after dinner one evening. We were in the fire-hall, drinking dwarvish mead that someone had broken out.  
"Alright! But *hic* I tell you, it's not that fantastic!" I stood on the table then, and did a back flip off of it. Even in my inebriated state, I was able to easily land as a snow leopard, with Janos merely shaking his head at me before I shifted back, holding my arms wide as though to welcome the drunken awe and applause.  
"Well done, Lady Brightgaze!" bellowed a red-haired dwarf, and I bowed sloppily.  
"Thank you, sir Gimli Gloinson!"  
Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, and I laughed too, before shouting over the revelry, "Go on Padfoot! Show us what you really look like!"  
Sirius had had much more to drink than I had, and so didn't try anything fantastic as his human form was replaced by that of the great black dog.  
He let out a howl before barking at Janos, who had growled lowly, presumably in response to Sirius's ridiculous display.  
Padfoot promptly passed out not long after, landing with a huff under the table.  
A few minutes later, I decided I wasn't far behind, and I made sure all of my belongings were secured before gesturing to Janos to let me ride on his back.  
He shrunk down to normal size before growing to be as big as a horse, nearly the size of a warg.  
The dwarves clapped as I bid my farewell, and I could remember nothing more of the night save for curling into Janos's warm fur as I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up on the afternoon of the council to Janos sticking me with a claw impatiently.  
"Ow! What do you want, Janos? What time is it?" I yawned, before looking outside to the dimming glow of the sun, signaling that it would soon be afternoon, and time for the council.  
"I'm late!" I yelled, scrambling up from my bed and hurriedly gathering a towel and my wand.  
I bathed on my own, having apparated to the showers. I made my hair smell of cinnamon, and my body of vanilla, making a lovely smell in my opinion. I dried my hair magically, allowing it to fall in midnight waves to my elbows, and delicately placing a gold circlet on my brow, tiny topaz gems winking out from the twists of the wire like stars. I apparated back into my chambers in my towel, abandoning that on the floor before stepping into my dress, a dark red piece with a lace-up back, which of course tied itself as I gently stepped into golden flats, which complemented the embroidered gold taffeta present on the front and on the inside of the sleeves. I put on my storm-grey, floor length cloak with the gold clasp of two stars. I helped Janos put on his now charmed-gold armor and put my wand in it's holster on the inside of my left forearm, and set out down the hallway,  
Sirius and I sat down with Daerwen and Thormur, two of the highest-ranking members of the Alvard.  
We sat nest to the elves, with two empty seats on our other side, and the dwarves on the other side of the elves, followed by the Men..  
Elrond walked in a few minutes later, with Gandalf and a Halfling arriving last and taking the two empty seats.  
Once we were all seated, Elrond stood and started the meeting off. Even Sirius was looking grimly at the elder Elf, his expression for once agreeing with his name.  
"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been called together to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom. Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."  
The Halfling stood then, and gingerly placed a small gold band on the pedestal in the center of the semi-circle.  
I could feel a pressure on my mental shields, and I winced as a spear of thought tried to wedge itself into my head and enter my mind.  
"Never have I seen an inanimate object with such powers of legillimency. Truly I cannot imagine the terrible things it speaks to those without the skills of occlumency to shield their minds." I muttered, to me backed by a murmur of agreement on the part of my companions.  
Boromir spoke up. "So it is true." He stared intently at the Ring, and my eyebrows furrowed.  
"The doom of men, dwarves, elves, and mages." said Sirius, stroking his beard and frowning warily at the Ring.  
"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But a pale light lingered in the West. A voice was crying, 'your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found.'" he approached the ring, and reached out to touch it. I growled, along with Janos, and even Sirius's inner dog came out in a soft growl in response to the danger Boromir was posing.  
Gandalf stood suddenly, as did Elrond, who called out Boromir's name as Gandalf started chanting in the Black Speech. Janos's hackles rose.  
"One Ring to Rule them All, one Ring to find them, One Ring to Bring them all, and in the darkness Bind them, In the land or Mordor, where the shadows lie." I whispered, my voice seemingly loud in the tense silence following Gandalf's speech.  
"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!" Elrond was indignant and angry, and I shied away slightly while watching for Gandalf's reaction. Janos sat up, and I stroked his head, his soft fur and knowing glance comforting me in the face of the evil of the Ring, and the ever-present stabbing sensation against my mental shields.  
"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!"  
He shot Boromir a look, but apparently it had no effect, for as soon as he had resumed his seat, the son of Gondor spoke up again.  
"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this Ring?" he started pacing as he continued, "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy- let us use it against him!"  
My eyes turned to Aragorn as he spoke up at last.  
"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone, it has no other master."  
I nodded in agreement, reclining and tapping my fingers on the armrest of my chair. Sirius was leaning on his elbow, his raptly focused on the conversation, no doubt committing it to memory to store later.  
"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"  
Boromir's voice was patronizing as he responded, and I gave an indignant huff, and was about to stand before Thranduil's son did suddenly.  
"This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." his gaze was hard, and I was on the edge of my seat, about to stand up and join the conversation actively.  
"Aragorn. This… is Isildur's heir?"  
"And heir to the throne of Gondor." I spoke up, and all eyes turned to me as I stood fluidly. Sirius raised his eyebrow, and I raised mine in response, eliciting a shrug from him before he turned back to the conversation at large.  
"Gondor has no king… Gondor needs no king."  
Steam must have been blowing from my nostrils, because my face heated, and I almost reached for my wand as I took a step forward simultaneously with Legolas.  
"Havo dad Legolas, Brightgaze."  
"Accalia," Sirius had a warning tone when he said my name, and Aragorn was calmly authoritative. I shot both of them looks, and sat down, narrowing my eyes at the men of Gondor and watching sweat bead upon their brows.  
"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." Gandalf put the conversation back on track.  
"You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." Elrond looked calmly around, before Gimli stood up, swinging around his axe.  
"Well what are we waiting for?!" He gave a battle cry as he swung the axe down hard, and I shielded the crowd with a simple silent 'protego'.  
"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess."  
He was cut off by one of the Humans, an elderly man with grey hair and a green robe.  
"What about the witches? Surely they could use their powers to destroy the Ring."  
All eyes turned to us, and Sirius spoke up then. "I resent that name. The proper term for witches and wizards as a whole are mages. The term for my siblings and I are Iromar. And we cannot use our powers against the Ring, even to transport it."  
"Indeed. As Sirius has said, even our most powerful magic is useless against the Ring. In the days of ages past, I tried to destroy it or sever it from the hand of the Dark Lord himself, but the Ring tore my power from my mind, and I was left unconscious for weeks afterward. Had it not been for Janos guarding my body, I would likely have been buried alive, as I was so near death."  
I was sitting back in my chair now, and the eyes of the crowd flickered between Sirius and I.  
"Tis true. All of us save for Janos thought her dead."  
"Now that we have a firm understanding of the Past and the fact that magic will not work against the Ring, Let us continue. Lord Elrond, I believe you had been saying something?" I turned the conversation back to the elf king, who nodded at me in response.  
"The Ring cannot be destroyed by any powers that we here possess. It was made in the fires of Mount Doom, and only there can it be unmade. The Ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." he looked around at us, and a fresh wave of force crashed against my mental shields. "One of you must do this."  
Boromir scoffed, and I looked over at him.  
"One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is an evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever-watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire, and ash, and dust. The very air you breath is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men can you do this- it is folly!"  
"Then perhaps only a few? For is not stealth a perfect strategy when one is outside of their own lands and at a disadvantage?" Sirius spoke up, only to be shot down by a man.  
"Only to have them all killed and the Ring taken back to it's master? Not likely!"  
"Have you heard nothing that has been said? The ring must be destroyed!" Legolas stood again, and I stood with him, Janos at my side.  
"and I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli shouted at Legolas, also standing up.  
"It matters not who stands, as long as they are true of heart and sound of mind!" I defended the blonde, only to have Boromir speak up.  
"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!"  
"We will not fail!" I said in return, only to have a man raise his voice.  
"We do not trust witches!"  
"Racism!" I shouted, pointing my finger at him.  
"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf! Never trust an Elf!"  
The elves stood up, and Legolas held them back as I was held back by the Infatar.  
"Do you not understand that while we argue amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!" Gandalf stood as well, but I was too busy shouting at the humans to care.  
"Your kind have always been the weakest! Always so easily swayed by power, and not even enough of your own to protect yourselves! Irovane has kept you safe from the Darkness of the Northern Wastes for six thousand years, yet you claim you have done everything!"  
"You are child-thieves and crop-cutters! Entire families have disappeared off into your country never to be seen again!"  
"You spoil your own crops, and We claim our own kind! Should an Infatar be born to human parents, we will claim the child and will return to the Infatar's land with them and whomever of their family wishes to join them! We stop their magic from falling into the hands of evil! Were it not for us we would have warlocks to fight against, as well as the Maiar Saruman!"  
The chaos only ended when Sirius magically magnified his voice.  
"SILENCE! LET THE HOBBIT SPEAK!"  
We all fell silent then, and turned to look at Frodo, standing waist-high and determined.  
"I will take it! I will take the Ring to Mordor!" he quieted down a bit, "Though, I do not know the way."  
"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, As long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf placed his hands on Frodo's shoulders.  
"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." Aragorn kneeled before Frodo. "You have my sword."  
"And my bow." Legolas stepped forward.  
"And my axe." Gimli stood forward.  
I looked at Janos, and together we stepped before the hobbit and bowed.  
"You have the strength of the kneale at your back, Frodo Baggins, and all the magic I can give to defend you in your quest."  
"You carry the fates of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done." Boromir joined us.  
We all turned at the "Hey!" that erupted from a bush, and a thickset hobbit burst out, going to stand resolutely by Frodo.  
"Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!"  
Elrond was amused as he replied with a slight chuckle. "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate the two of you, even when he is invited to a secret council and you are not."  
"Wait! We're coming, too!" two more hobbits came out from behind pillars, and Janos and I shared an amused glance at the new height that Lord Elrond's eyebrows had ascended to.  
"You'd have to send us home tired up in a sack to stop us!"  
"anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… thing."  
"Well that rules you out, Pip." the first one rolled his eyes, and the second one nodded before realizing what he was nodding to and stopped, with an indignant glance at the first hobbit.  
"Eleven companions…" Elrond mused. "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"  
"Great! Where are we going?"


	7. Chapter 7

That evening, Sirius joined me in packing for the trip.  
"Always had to throw yourself into the thick of things, didn't you Brightgaze?" he ruffled my hair, and I smiled.  
"Always. What are you, Moony, and Prongs ever going to do without me?" I covered my forehead with the back of my hand in a mock-faint.  
"We'll do just fine. I'm a good judge, Prongs is a good General, and Moony is a perfect Headmaster. Irovane will be fine while you're out, and when you return and find something amiss, you'll put it right in no time flat." he grinned at me, before bringing a bundle of fabric out from a pocket of his cloak.  
"What's that?" I asked curiously, before Sirius unfolded it.  
"No way!" I breathed, and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.  
"Yes, I borrowed James's invisibility cloak. Now I'm sure he'll understand, you need it more than any of us do."  
I took the age-old cloak and slung it around my shoulders, looking down in nostalgic amusement when my body disappeared.  
"I remember when James first brought out his dad's cloak, and we all went down to Honeyduke's with it, through the secret passage." I smiled, hugging Sirius and pushing the cloak to hang down my back as I did.  
I removed the cloak carefully and packed it away in my pouch, making sure everything else was safely stored away before giving Sirius my circlet.  
"You take good care of that, Padfoot. I'll be coming back for it."  
He smiled, slightly teary-eyed before enveloping me in a hug.  
"Take care of yourself, Brightgaze. If you die, I'll kill you." He pulled away and slapped my shoulder in jest, before kneeling down in front of Janos, who was warg-sized and laying down, his mithril collar-armor around his neck.  
"I expect you to take good care of her, Janos. Understand?"  
Janos only rolled his eyes and huffed in response, knocking Sirius's crown low on his brow with his tail.  
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." he said with a smile as he patted the kneale's head.  
~.~o~O~o~.~  
We met up with the rest of the Fellowship in a glade with an old stone arch, at the very edge of Rivendell and facing west. It was beautiful this morning, with the autumn sun shining gold upon the red and orange leaves, some of which fluttered to the ground on the soft breeze.  
"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond, to go further than you will."  
Elrond spoke, and I looked around at the small crowd gathered behind him, including Sirius, Daerwen and Thormur, and many elves, including Elrond's three children and a few of the Mirkwood people. The Men of the West were there as well, as were the Dwarves who had accompanied Gimli here.  
"Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk of Middle Earth go with you." Elrond spread his arms wide, and I gave the salute of Iromar, my right fist clasped over my heart as I bowed slightly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Aragorn and Legolas giving the elvish salute, and I made up my mind to ask Aragorn about it later.  
"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer." Gandalf cued Frodo in on when to set out and lead us, and I had a feeling that we would all be looking to Gandalf for the most part on leadership through this journey.  
I was near the front, so I'm sure not many of the rest of us heard Frodo whisper and ask  
,"Mordor Gandalf, is it left or right?"  
"Left."  
And we departed.


	8. Chapter 8

It was an uneventful walk for the most part, with the Hobbits eating or nibbling on something constantly, and myself walking only in my human form for

the most part, much to Janos's annoyance.

We paused one evening in the woods and stopped for dinner when I pulled out my wand aimlessly.

Everybody was looking at me now, the hobbits open-faced and curiously, Gandalf and the others out of the corners of their eyes.

I opened up my pouch and put my wand-tip to the opening.

Now they were all wondering what I was doing, before I said clearly, "accio tent!"

I held the purse away from me, and it took a moment to happen, but the huge bundle of fabric shot out of the mouth of the tiny sack.

The fellowship stood with mouths agape. No doubt they had only ever heard of the wonders of magic before.

I waved my wand once more, and the tent assembled itself.

"Come in everyone, and try not to track too much mud." I smiled as their confusion made itself evident. From the outside it looked as though it could

hardly fit two people. They were probably wondering how all ten of us would squeeze inside.

"Fine, sleep outside." I grinned impishly. "Come on Janos." Janos, who was now much bigger than the tent, followed me in easily, and I heard gasps of

surprise as he disappeared within the tent.  
"This is our living space, a parlor if you will. Over there is the library, and here at the sides are the bedrooms." I lead them in, and walked to the right,

to the first bedroom next to the door.

"Aragorn and Boromir will share this room. This is a bunk bed- climb the ladder to reach the top bed. You decide amongst yourselves who is on the top

and bottom beds." I showed them their room before walking out and closing the curtain.

"This is Gimli and Legolas's room. I'm sorry but yes you two are bunking together, and if you want to fight, please take it outside." Gimli scowled and

Legolas frowned, but they all followed me to the last room on the right side of the tent.

"This room will belong to Myself and Janos. The library is here," I turned to face away from my quarters, as the library was directly in front of it, sith a

small walking space between the ends of the shelves and the curtain to my room. "On these shelves are some important books, but I'm sure you all

know how to treat them. Moving on." I walked around the library to the room in the back left corner. "This is the kitchen and dining room. No food is to

leave this room unless it is being carried outside. Once the tent is put away, there is to be no spoilable food inside. If we have food that spoils, it needs

to be put in this box." I walked over to a white box about waist-high in the corner. "This box contains a block of magically sustained ice. It will not melt,

and it should keep food from spoiling for a while, especially meat. The table is here, yes I know there are only benches and it's in the corner but

benches are easier than chairs. The cabinets are here, above the sink and the icebox, and the stove is here, on this wall. I'll teach you how it works,

Sam." I turned around and walked out, with the hobbits lingering amusingly in the kitchen.

"This room is for the Hobbits, and there are four bunks. Instead of two bedside tables there is just one under the window there, but it's fine. This last

room," We had come a full circle now and were at the room to the left of the door, "Is Gandalf's room."

I sat down on the couch in the living area, prodding at a small floating ball with my wand. In a moment, all balls of the sort lit up brighter than any

candle, and the entire tent was lit as though it were daytime.

"Brightgaze… How..?" Boromir spoke up.

"Yes?"

"This tent.. "

"Go on?"

"It is bigger on the inside."

"Yes."

"How?"

"It's magic."

I smiled, and Gandalf returned the grin before declaring that he was going to put his things down. Soon enough everybody did, and once everyone

started doing their own activities, I left the tent.

I picked up a stick of good size and dragged it hard on the ground, making a large circle around the tent and the tree where Bill the Pony was tied.

Once that was done, I cast the wards over the little area, repelling light and dark magic, non-magic folk, animals and all manner of other things.

We spent the night without much event, and I discreetly retrieved my fire whiskey from the icebox as Sam put away the food.

"What is that, Miss Brightgaze ma'am?" he asked curiously as I put the bottles into my pouch.

"Oh nothing you need to worry about Sam, unless you're the type for strong drink." I smiled as a strange look crossed over the Hobbit's face.

"But women shouldn't drink, Miss Brightgaze."

"Oh Sam, I'm not just any woman. I can be a woman when I want to be, a warrior when I wish, and a Queen when I must. I have many faces, only a

few of which you have seen. Judge me not, Samwise Gamgee, for if you do you may find your perception of what is, is flawed."

I left it at that, and once everyone was out of the tent I packed it away, shoving it back into the depths of my small pouch.

"Now tell me, Brightgaze. How does that fit into such a small container?" Legolas approached me as we continued our walk.

"The same way we all fit inside the tent last night," I answered, my hand on Janos's back.

"I knew as much. But is there a name for such magic of the same type?"

"Of course. There is a name for every spell, every magical object, though non-magic folk need not trouble themselves over that which they cannot use."

I told him, but he was insistent.

"What is that magic called?"

"The spell which produces the effect of something being bigger on the inside is called an undetectable extension charm."

"An undetectable extension charm. And what was the magic you were doing last night, when you drew the circle around the camp?"

"I was putting up wards, to protect us while we slept. We were not seen, nor were we heard, felt, smelled, or any other manner of having our

presence known. We were utterly invisible to any being outside of that circle."

We talked magic for the rest of the day, and stayed up well into the night recalling the days when Mirkwood was still the Greenwood, and when the

Dragons still lived in the Grey Mountains rather than in the small ring north of the Lonely Mountain.

"Do you remember the retrieval of the Lonely Mountain?" he asked, and I smiled.

"Of course, my brother and I were in Laketown on that very day, retrieving a small Infatar girl and her family."

"I remember when a member of my father's court was discovered to be Infatar." he said, and I looked over at him curiously.

"He became feared, but one of your brothers came with a woman to retrieve him. He called himself Prongs, and wore spectacles. The name of the elleth

with him escapes me, her hair was a strange shade of green and she looked different every time I observed her face."

"She was special, a rare form of mage known as a metamorphagus. They can change their appearance at will, become an entirely new person if they

wish."

"Are you one of these mages?"

"No," I answered, plucking a stray leaf from my cloak. "Though metamorphagi are not to be confused with the animagi. Or an animagus, if speaking in

the singular."

"What are animagi?" he asked curiously. I could tell that almost everyone, save for Boromir, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam and Aragorn were paying attention

now.

"Animagi are witches and wizards whom have taught themselves an advanced form of transfiguration, which is changing the shape of an object, that

allows themselves to transform into an animal at will, yet still keep the mental facilities of the normal mage."

"And are you one of these animagi?" Gimli asked.

"Only time will tell, my friend." I shared a conspiratorial look with Janos. "Only time will tell."


End file.
